Lessons in Chemistry

I just finished Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, audiobook and here are my thoughts.

Being a female scientist isn't easy and for Elizabeth Zott, being a scientist and a woman in the 60s is the hardest thing in the world. Only ever being interested in the science, Elizabeth was happily married to her work. Until she fellow scientist and Nobel-prize nominated, Calvin Evan's treats her like an equal and the two fall in beautiful love.

Tragedy strikes and Elizabeth finds herself not only as a single mother, her daughter being born out of wedlock, but hosting a cooking show where she teaches recipes of how to cook but with scientific explanations. She is daring women to dream big as they are the linchpin that holds the world together and they aren't just made to sit home and cook dinner.

This book was supposed to be hilarious. Don't get me wrong, it has some solid funny moments but the whole book is also tinged with some pretty dark moments. I don't think anyone can call sexual assault, suicide or the death of a partner in dark circumstances funny. I also didn't find what the priest did funny either so I kind of wished it hadn't just been listed as funny. It had a lot more depth to it.

There were so many good things about this book. Elizabeth and her daughter Mad, both excellent characters. The love the have for each other is so beautiful and don't even get me started on the dog! I want Six thirty. I felt deep sadness for all the things Calvin never gets to find out in his short life.

The story is so well done and I like that Elizabeth marched to the beat of her own drum and pushed the boundaries of her world.

Really a solid book! The audio was really great too.

4.5 stars

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